The Bear’s Den, September 8, 2022

THE DAILY SPONGIE SPECIAL

Ken’s Note: I was accused of promoting a band with millions of views yesterday. Poppycock. If I’m going to promote somebody, it’s going to be somebody like this, with less than 1000 views. This dude did the college tours back in the ‘80s, I saw him live doing this tune in 1983. Great stuff.

BEARRRSSSS

CHGO Bears Podcast: Will Soldier Field’s new grass be ready for the Chicago Bears opener Sunday? - CHGO - In this episode, the crew discusses the new grass at Soldier Field and whether it will be ready in time for Sunday’s game.

Hoge’s Bears Things: New stadium plan, new grass and a new season - CHGO - New stadium footprints. New grass at Soldier Field. And soon: a new president and CEO of the Chicago Bears. That’s great, but the Bears still need to block Nick Bosa on Sunday.

Justin Fields not motivated to face Trey Lance, ‘glad’ 49ers passed on him - NBC Sports Chicago - Justin Fields isn’t focused on payback in Week 1 vs. the 49ers. His motivation is on something bigger.

Dannehy: Memories of Cade & Culpepper, Plus Thoughts on San Francisco - Da Bears Blog - For Chicago Bears fans in their 30s, or early 40s, it might be hard not to compare Sunday’s quarterback showdown at Soldier Field with a similar contest 22 years ago. This one will hopefully end far better for the Bears in both the short and long term.

Bears’ Lucas Patrick (hand) a full participant in practice - 670 The Score - Bears offensive lineman Lucas Patrick was a full participant in practice Wednesday afternoon as he continues to recover from a right hand injury.

Captain Justin Fields taking lead in driving Bears - 670 The Score - Recently named one of his team’s four captains, Bears quarterback Justin Fields explained that his greatest motivation is leading his teammates.

Bears guide change to ‘fast’ Bermuda grass at Soldier Field - 670 The Score - Under the watch of their new regime, the Chicago Bears hope to be a faster team. Now, their playing surface at home will help them meet that goal.

Bears-49ers could shed light on a Nagy problem - Chicago Sun-Times - With a similar offensive lineup that faced the 49ers in Week 8 last year under Matt Nagy — and arguably a lesser one — the Bears’ offensive performance in Luke Getsy’s debut as offensive coordinator could be telling.

Soldier Field’s new grass an upgrade over ‘sandy field ... spray painted green’ - Chicago Sun-Times - Bears kicker Cairo Santos was pleased to see the stadium switch from Kentucky bluegrass to Bermuda this week and plans to test it out Friday.

Bears vote Roquan Smith captain: ‘We know what he means to the team’ - Chicago Sun-Times - Teammates said Smith’s prolonged absence at the start of training camp had no impact on how they view him as a leader.

Bears’ Justin Fields on 49ers: ‘I’m glad that they passed on me’ - Chicago Sun-Times - Receiver Darnell Mooney said last week that Fields had the 49ers circled because they drafted quarterback Trey Lance No. 3 overall last year when they could have had Justin Fields, whom the Bears eventually took No. 11.

Bears vote Roquan Smith, Justin Fields, Robert Quinn, Cody Whitehair as captains - Chicago Sun-Times - The four permanent captains were voted on by the players, and coach Matt Eberflus will add an honorary captain each week.

Chicago Bears give Soldier Field a new surface - Chicago Tribune - The Chicago Bears resodded Soldier Field this week with Bermuda grass, replacing the old Kentucky bluegrass ahead of Sunday's season opener.

Justin Fields, Roquan Smith among 4 Chicago Bears captains - Chicago Tribune - Chicago Bears players voted quarterback Justin Fields, linebacker Roquan Smith, defensive end Robert Quinn and guard Cody Whitehair to be team captains in 2022.

Arlington Heights trustees hire consultants for Chicago Bears plans - Chicago Tribune - Arlington Heights trustees approved hiring traffic and finance consultants for studies related redeveloping Arlington International Racecourse.

Mooney vs. Mooney matchup to watch in Week 1 against 49ers - CHGO - On Sunday, Bears wide receiver Darnell Mooney will go against 49ers cornerback Charvarius Ward, a matchup he is looking forward to.

Captain Justin Fields taking lead in driving Bears - 670 The Score - Recently named one of his team’s four captains, Bears quarterback Justin Fields explained that his greatest motivation is leading his teammates.

Arlington Heights trustees hire consultants for Chicago Bears plans - Chicago Tribune - Arlington Heights trustees approved hiring traffic and finance consultants for studies related redeveloping Arlington International Racecourse.

POLISH SAUSAGE

Trey Lance: Being a captain is a goal for the future - ProFootballTalk - Trey Lance had to wait to become the 49ers’ starting quarterback. He will have to wait to become a team captain.

Mitch Trubisky: Going to be huge to start Sunday's game - ProFootballTalk - “It’s going to be huge,” Trubisky said, via the team’s website. “It’s something I looked forward to, something I’ve worked for. I’m just grateful for the opportunity and I’m going to take full advantage. . . . “I had a really good camp. I came in here with a lot of experience, showed I could lead the team. Showed I’ve been playing really well, throwing the football really well. Now we go out there and execute on the field.”

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT ON WINDY CITY GRIDIRON

Zimmerman: Bears Banter Season Preview with Aaron Leming - Windy City Gridiron - Bears Banter previews the 2022 Chicago Bears with Aaron Leming

Wiltfong: Bears announce their 4 year-long captains - Windy City Gridiron - Earlier this week, head coach Matt Eberflus said that the 2022 Chicago Bears will have four year-long captains representing the team this season and that a fifth player would be named an honorary...

Leming's Bears Mailbag: Week 1 gamesmanship, Cole Kmet breakout, the state of the o-line, and more - Windy City Gridiron - The first mailbag of the 2022 regular season is here. We’ll tackle all of your questions from Cole Kmet’s breakout season, to what general manager Ryan Poles could have done differently this off-season.

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR YOUTUBE PAGE

2nd City Gridiron is our new video home — yes that link does go to the Run Pass Opinion channel, and that’s because we’ll soon be moving our channel over there! So hit the link and help us grow that brand!

THE RULES

Windy City Gridiron Community Guidelines - SBNation.com - We strive to make our communities open and inclusive to sports fans of all backgrounds. The following is not permitted in comments. No personal attacks, politics, gender based insults of any kind, racial insults, etc.

Windy City Gridiron Podcast Channel which includes Bear With Me from Robert Schmitz, Bears Over Beers featuring Jeff Berckes & EJ Snyder, Bears Banter hosted by Bill Zimmerman, Rule of 3 with R. Schmitz, Danny Meehan, and Brandon Robinson, Bear & Balanced from Jeff and Lester A. Wiltfong Jr., and T Formation Conversation from Lester; EJ also co-hosts The Bootleg Football Podcast with Brett Kollmann; R. Schmitz has a film breakdown show on YouTube titled Run Pass Opinion; Will Robinson II has his WhiskeyRanger YouTube channel, and Steven’s Streaming Twitch Channel from Steven Schweickert.

Click on our names to follow us on Twitter: Jeff Berckes; Patti Curl; Eric Christopher Duerrwaechter; Kev H; Sam Householder; Jacob Infante; Aaron Lemming; Ken Mitchell; Jack R Salo; Steven Schweickert; Jack Silverstein; EJ Snyder; Lester Wiltfong, Jr.; Rahul Ramachandran; Will Robinson II; Robert Schmitz; T.J. Starman; Robert Zeglinski; Bill Zimmerman; 2nd City Gridiron; Like WCG on Facebook; Like 2nd City Gridiron on Facebook.